Political Quotes

“I strongly support H.R. 6376, as amended, the Student Veteran Modernization Act, which would make much-needed improvements and modernizations to the VA work-study program. This legislation will create a pilot program to allow part-time student veterans to access VA work-study programs for the next 5 years, ensuring they can complete their certification or degree without taking on unmanageable amounts of student debt and still care for themselves and their families. I would prefer this be a permanent change in the law, but I understand the need to review these changes in a pilot program. I hope that when this pilot program concludes, and we have an idea of how many veterans were helped, Congress will make this change permanent. Currently, student veterans must maintain a full class load to be eligible for work-study, which is not feasible for many veterans who are balancing families or other work obligations. With this change, part-time student veterans will be able to earn a paycheck while also earning workforce skills. I thank Representative Axne for her hard work on the introduction of this bill. I also thank student veterans and the Department of Veteran Affairs for their feedback, which improved the bill and will bring more student veterans into the work-study program. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.”